Teaching Computational Thinking to Exceptional Learners: Lessons From Two Diverse Classrooms Using Scratch

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 3
  In Poster Session: Technology, Instruction, Cognition, and Learning in STEM

Abstract

Computational thinking has begun to be positioned as a skill all students should learn. However, strategies for teaching computational thinking to students with exceptional needs have not been well studied. This case study presents lessons learned from the ways two 4th grade teachers taught computational thinking to exceptional students across two divergent classrooms – one a full-inclusion special education classroom and the other a Gifted and Talented Education classroom. Findings indicate that while each teacher used different strategies to teach computational thinking, they were both able to get their students to code successfully. This study highlights how diverse teaching approaches can be leveraged to maximize learning and access to computer science curricula for students with differing exceptional needs.

Authors

• Yenda Prado, University of California - Irvine

• Sharin R. Jacob, University of California - Irvine

• Mark Warschauer, University of California - Irvine